1 Feb 2013

âwinat mchicha / Cat's Eye Ghriba / Ghriba Œil-de-Chat!

عْويناتْ مْشِيشَة

âwinat mchicha (3winat Mchicha)
Cat's Eye Ghriba
Ghriba Œil-de-Chat!

These "3winat Mchicha", which literally means "Cat's Eye" are little Moroccan almond round cookies of deliciousness, with a little hole in the centre filled with jam of your choice. Personally, I like to use apricot jam so the cookies look more like a "cat's eye", but my children prefer more strawberry jam. It doesn't matter which jam you use, any flavour works!

These little cookies are bursting with flavour, moist, slightly crunchy and, if properly stored, they can stay soft for several days. They are soft, but not too delicate that falls apart at first bite or touch as Bahla. The crunch side comes not from the cookie itself, but rather from the toasted chopped almond on the edges, adding a bit of chewiness to them. When you take a bite into it, you feel all the richness of the flavours, however the balance of these ingredients works so well, no too much of any particular flavour. All the ingredients come together in a perfect harmony, making these little Dwaz Atay irresistible.

Cream butter, oudi and sugar until well blended, having a smooth and fluffy mixture.

Add the the egg yolks one at a time while continuing to whisk, then add the oil and juice, and whisk for about 5 to 8 minutes.

4-Add in almond extract, orange zest and the dry ingredients GRADUALLY until just incorporated, don't over mix.

Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven at 160°C fan / or 180°C / or 356°F / or gas mark 4.

Divide the dough into very small equal pieces, then roll each piece into a ball.

Roll the balls in egg white mixture, then in almonds or sesame seeds to coat.

Place the balls onto the baking sheet, spacing about 1 cm apart. Then, use your finger or an instrument of similar size to make a well in the center of each ball.

Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, use the same instrument as before (to make a well in the center of each ball, but don't use your finger, they are quite hot now), then gently push through the center of each cookie to widen the hole.

Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until they become slightly golden. Allow to cool before removing them from tray. Transfer to a rack and allow to cool completely.

Heat jam (in microwave or in a bain-marie or others) until liquefied, then spoon a few drops into each hole. Allow the jam to cool before storing the cookies.

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Hello/Salam/Azul aytma d'istma, tifawin oflki flaton!

Welcome to the Kingdom of Morocco! The history of Moroccan cuisine, which is of Imazighens (Swassa, Ryafa, Zayanes), Jews, Fassis, Andaloussis, Sahrawis, Gnawas and Arabs origin, stretches back for several centuries and was able to adapt itself to changes and different modern ingredients from period to period. Moroccan cuisine is rated among one of the most cleverly balanced cuisines, with strong focus on rich flavours, aromas, texture, presentation, and perfect choice of spices and fresh ingredients, thus leading Moroccans to pride themselves on eating tasty, delicious and traditional food on a daily basis. Several Moroccan dishes have become increasingly popular now in other parts of the world (North America, Australia and Western Europe), and it is no surprise that some neighbouring African countries have adopted the Moroccan Style Flavour. Welcome to my Blog!

A few weeks ago, I had a hankering for French Beignets, pronounced as (BAI-NYEE), a sugary pastry, very popular in Morocco as well. Like North-American version doughnuts or donuts, beignets are a French puffy deep-fried pastry, circle-shaped, and without a hole, served hot, garnished with caster or icing sugar. However, unlike North-American doughnuts, beignets tend to be very light and airy with a hollow centre cavity that is usually filled with jam, crème patissière, melted chocolate etc...... When the French and Spanish occupied Morocco, they introduced a wide variety of baked foods into the Kingdom. Khringo, beignets, dairy products, elegant cakes etc... these are only a few of the examples of French and Spanish influences on Moroccan food. However; the most influential is the Frensh cuisine, and with its sophisticated cooking techniques, it has contributed significantly to elaborate Moroccan style of cooking. There is no doubt that the French cuisine, along with the Moroccan ingredients, all together, makes an excellent gastronomic marriage, though Moroccan culinary culture holds its roots firmly from its first inhabitants, who are Shlooh (Chleuh)/Imazighen, Moroccan Jews, and the Arabs who conquered Morocco in the seventh century.

Almonds are the most commonly used nuts in Morocco and where would Moroccan pastry be without them? The almonds, either whole or sliced or toasted or fried or ground with skin on, or blanched, are a staple in Moroccan dishes, as well as dessert pastes.

Dough for Moroccan Sweet Pastries / Pâte Pour Pâtisseries Marocaines!

This is a dough made from a few ingredients and is widely used in Morocco to make sweet pastries, especially Moroccan Kâab al-ghazal or Kâaba = الكَعْبَة أَوْ كعب الغزال. The most important part of making this, is the kneading and the rolling of the dough. It is amazing how a small ball of this dough could be stretched thin and thinner that you could "read the newspaper through it"!

Rass El Hanout or Ras El Hanout = راس الحانوت, also known as "Mrouzia or Mrouziya Spice" = مروزيّة is a popular Moroccan complex spice mix, and ranks as the most popular exported spice produced in Morocco. Ras El Hanout has grown in popularity over the past few years, and become one of Morocco's most famous food flavour. Known by its rich fragrant aroma, warm, sensual fragrance and overall robust flavour, Ras El Hanout is much like some traditional great spice combinations such as Curry and Garam Masalas of India, or the fabulous Moles of Mexico etc.....

THIS bread, though I always serve it with Camembert or with nice hot soup, it is in fact so delicious on its own. When served as grilled cheese sandwich, this delicately flavoured bread is a dinner in itself!

Ras El Hanout Chicken / Poulet à la Marinade de Rass El Hanout!

Chicken is one of my boys' favourite meat, either cooked in Tagine (Tajine) or roasted, or fried, or grilled, or whatever I can try. I often use this Ras El Hanout Sauce (Moroccan Spice Blend) to marinate chicken wings or drumsticks.

Potato Buns / Buns ou Pain Hamburger aux Patates (Pommes de terre)!

In fact I was planning to post this recipe along with many other pictures of potato doughnuts, pizza crust and brioches, few recipes I will be sharing soon, under the title "Potato Dough", but these buns turned out to be such a lovely treat on their own that they are really worth to be posted separately with a few praising words!

سبيعات اللوز / Almond Fingers / Doigts aux Amandes!

Those almond fingers, commonly known as "Sbi3at Louz" or "Sbiaât Louz" = سبيعات اللوز, that literally means "Fingers of Almonds", are so delightful and delicately flavored cookies from Morocco that have been enjoyed by both adults and children for generations, nibbling on them between sips of fresh mint tea.

One of my favourite things about my country culture is the Souk (السّوق = Local market) and for me, it has always been an interesting place to wander. I just like walking through the grand Bazaar, the narrow streets and enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread drifts from Frane (communal ovens = فْرّانْ), and all those aromatic, exotic, colorful spices. The place is filled with vendors, very friendly who bargain with a smile on their faces, and little boys running, with schoolbags bouncing on their backs, all grins and full of energy, and women carrying wassla (االوصلة = Wood Tray) of bread on their heads, and old men selling bundles of fresh mint, absinthium, coriander, parsley and Mahrash Bread (or Marhrach = مْحْراشْ)!

This is Tquawt (T9awt) = تْقَاوْتْ [T 9 A W T - number 9 stands for the Arabic letter "ﻕ", which is pronounced like "K", except that to make the sound of "ﻕ", the back of the tongue touches the uvula, instead of the soft palate]. Some call it Seloo (Sellou) [S L O O] = سْلُّو / Sleeloo (Slilou) [S L E E L O O] = سْلِيلُو / Sfoof (Sfouf) [S F O O F] =سْفُوف /or Zmeeta (Zammita) [Z M E E T A] = زمّيطة. It is called in so many different names but they are all....

Zaalouk or Za3louk = الزّعّْلوكْ is a very traditional tasty cooked Moroccan salad made with eggplant, fresh tomatoes and pure olive oil, flavoured with spices and cooked to a puree. It's a very common side entrée to many dishes, especially cooked, roasted or fried fish. There are so many different types of Zaalouk, ex. Eggplant, Zucchini, Carrots, Pumpkin etc.....

Gâteau au fromage et aux framboises / Cheese and Raspberries Cake!

Manhatthan roulade, 2 Awards-Prix and Happy New Yea-Bonne Année!

Mary Berry is one of the UK's best known and one of the most respected cookery writers in the country. I love her recipes because they are simple, clearly illustrated and most importantly, I've never tried one of her recipes and it didn't work well.

Hazelnut & Almond Cake /Gâteau aux amandes et noisettes

I love posting cakes in my blog, because they help me remember those special moments I shared with my family, and it is more fun when I read the posts with my sons.

Anwar's Castle Cake/Gâteau Château d'Anwar & 2 Awards

I am not a great cakemaker but when Kamal and Nassim wanted a castle cake for their little brother Anwar's first Birthday I had to look for ideas

The Australia's National Dish: Pavlova!

I had never heard of Pavlova until I went to Sydney with my husband a few years ago. We went to a restaurant where we had a very nice meal and Pavlova was the dessert I chose to follow. "What is Pavlova?", my husband whispered to me, assuming I knew what it was since I chose it for dessert. "I honestly have no idea what that could be!", I replied.

It was a sunny and lazy Sunday, my husband and my boys went to a movie. I was in that mood to try something new, and since I had a recipe that I wanted to try a long time ago, but somehow never got around to it, but that day, I decided to go for it. I made Oven-Dried Tomatoes!

No, no, these are not crumpets! These are crepes of a thousand wholes called "Baghrir" = بغرير . Baghrir is one of the most well known of Moroccan crepes, originally hailing from the South of Morocco, known as Souss Region. It is a South Imazighn (Shalha) name, which means "Too soft", and if you call someone, especially a man "Zayd Aya Baghrir", this phrase could be seen as insulting in some parts of the Kingdom, mainly in Souss Region, thus insinuating that "He (the Man) is too submissive, too obedient, too weak, etc.."!

Harcha or Harsha or 7archa حَرْشَة or Mbessess مْبَسّسْ or كسرة is a Moroccan crepe made from a mixture of fine and medium semolina flour or fine cornmeal, then other ingredients are added as butter, oil, yeast, salt, warm water to form a wet dough. However, the newer versions of Harsha use baking powder and milk or buttermilk or even fresh cream or sour cream etc... whereas the original Harsha version contains yeast, warm water, salt, oil and sometimes butter.

"Rouz Maticha", phonetically, pronounced as : /ruːz mætiːsha/ which means "Rice and Tomato" in Moroccan language, is one of my favourite dishes from my mother when I was young. In Morocco, rice is traditionally served with a tomato sauce, especially for supper meals.

Who doesn't love pasta! It comes in lots of shapes and styles and I prefer to buy most of the time fresh pasta, only if the price is reasonable. It is the perfect meal for everyone and my children love it, they can eat it every day. If only the cost of fresh pasta was not an issue, I would probably cook it for all weeknight, and all family occasions!

Moroccan-Style Tomato Sauce/ Sauce Tomates à la Marocaine

"شرمولة مطيشة" = "Sharmoula or Charmoula Matticha" , pronounced as "SHAR-MOO-LA / MA-TI-SHA", is the Moroccan-Style Tomato Sauce, which is one Basic Sauce that goes with almost any type of dishes: From traditional Moroccan food to grilled chicken, steaks, seafood, pasta, rice, couscous, meatballs or kafta, eggs, fish fingers, chicken nuggets etc... It can also be served as a dip-appetizer, with chips or some nice bread. When it comes to create or try a new sauce, it is not that easy, since the sauce that goes with pasta or rice or couscous etc... represents almost 80% of the dish, and I think once you have found the perfect sauce, then you have created a fantastic meal.

"تْفَايَا", = Tfaya, is a very popular Moroccan sauce, made with caramelized onions and raisins and which accompanies the famous Moroccan dish Couscous or Sakssou, and which is prepared usually for special events. Traditionally in Morocco, three (3) days before a Marriage Ceremony, this dish is prepared for the close family members, relatives and friends of the soon-to-be groom and bride. The ceremony is called "Henna Day" = Nhar l'Hanna (نهار الحْنّة), often a Friday, when it is usual for Henna Day, to take place.

شرمولة خظرة/Salmon in Green Sauce / Saumon poêlé et une sauce verte

This wonderful sauce recipe is the culmination of all my attempts and errors, and it is a nice combination of lovely ingredients! It draws its subtle flavor impact from the mallows and the combination of green roasted chile and sour cream. There are so many different versions of green sauce, Iberian, Mexican, Chinese, Spanish etc...... I have tried many different recipes over the years and tried just about every different combination of ingredients and methods for making what is known as "Green Sauce" and I have adjusted, adding Moroccan flavours to suit my family's taste. I now have it where we all like it!

After a few months of gloomy weather, finally the sun shined, showing its bright face, there was not one single fog and it was our Spring Break week too. So Spring is here and I wanted to prepare something to remind me of that feeling of renewed life and unsurprisingly the colour green, green beans and Moroccan Flag Salad came to my mind.

My love for chocolate gets me back to Mactweet attack! I really heart chocolate and my favourite is Dark Chocolate with Almonds! And who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and almonds? I think chocolate is one of the most mysterious sweets and so many questions were raised about the industry of chocolate, its consistency, texture, flavour, its secrets, etc.....

These Mini-Toghrifts are so soft, pliable and just a little bit chewy. They are perfect for any kind of sandwiches or dipping! They are so delicious and they make good sandwiches! I’m submitting this post to Susan's Yeastspotting, a blog devoted to yeast bread food. Please check it out!

This post will be about one of my childhood memories! Each time we sit down at the table to eat, it seems as though, it's not ME but it's my MOTHER (passed away many years ago), who is serving us one of her mouth-watering lunch or dinner. The reason I feel that way is that I cook so many of the same dishes and recipes that my mother used to make. All her old traditional recipes that she learned from my grandmother and that my grandmother learned from her mother etc.... Same dishes, same mum and grand-mum styled-home-cooked food, same taste and aroma! I can't let go all these food childhood memories and how could I? My mother was one such Mother! Each time I am in the kitchen cooking a meal I grew up on, this meal brings my mother to me in spirit and I feel she's smiling down on me!

مْسْمّْنْ/Moroccan Mssamen or Msamen/Mssamen ou M'ssaman Marocain!

Melwy =مْلْوي means in Moroccan Darija "Rolled dough" = "La pâte roulée" in French. It is another traditional, typical Moroccan West Crepe. It is made in the same basic way as Msamen and Rziza, except that Melwy has much more layers, due to its snail shape. The main ingredients of a traditional Moroccan Melwy base are made from hard unbleached flour all puprose, fine semolina, water, yeast, pure olive oil, Oudi (only, if you like the taste), some butter and salt to taste. Like Msamen, Meloui slightly rises up during baking due to the use of fine semolina and butter between layers, and also from the air that gets trapped between the layers. When cooked, Melwy becomes so light, tender and soft. Really delicious!

This is one of my whole family's favourite salad, very tasty, and easy to prepare. Each time this salad bowl makes its way around the dinner table, and most of the time there are only a few tomatoes and peppers slices left in the bowl, my children's eyes dart around the table to see who grabbed more than their fair share!

Moroccan Almond Ghoriba!

We call it the "Queen" of all Ghoribas or Moroccan Macarons. This is one Melt-in-the-Mouth-Treat made of blanched almonds, whose lightness comes from being made with ground almonds, powdered sugar and with no flour in it. So delicious!

قطبان الدجاج /Brochettes de poulet à la marocaine/ Chicken Kebab

Warm up with Moroccan Cornmeal porridge!

It’s so interesting how people choose their favourite breakfast dish from all around the world. Some start their day with eggs, beans, sausages, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, filled buns, toast, croissants etc.... and others will drink a bowl of Askif, as my mother used to have for breakfast! Askif, pronounced as (AS-KEE-F) is a dish made by boiling some types of flour, corn, semolina, barley flakes or grits, etc.... in water, or milk, or both (but usually milk is added at the end of cooking), and then the whole thing is stirred up like a soup. In some regions of Morocco, other grains, spices, seeds, herbs and vegetables are added to make Askif.

Paëlla, Spécialité Espagnole!

قطبان الكفتة/Brochettes Kofta à la marocaine / Moroccan Kabab

Pear and Lime Smoothie/Milkshake, Moroccan Style!

All you need is add a decorative paper umbrella to accompany this juice, garnish with a lime wheel and it will make you feel like you are in Agadir Beach, relaxing under the sun with toes in the sand!

Lime and kiwifruit Juice!

Summer comes early this year and what a week! When hot weather rolls around, nothing quite quenches your thirst like a cold fresh fruit!

Cream of broccoli Soup

Moroccan Kefta Tagine with Tomato and Eggs!

Today I'm sharing Moroccan Kefta Tagine that I made a few weeks ago. I've received several e-mails from readers, requesting the recipe for this dish, and first I would like to apologize for the delay. Kefta Tagine is a divine meal prepared with tomatoes, kefta and eggs, and the happy marriage of these three (3) ingredients has made this Tagine the national dish in Morocco, after of course Bastilla or Pastilla (Moroccan Pie), Couscous/Saksou, Safa/Seffa and Mrouzia/Mroaziya. What is Kefta or K'fta? Pronounced as (K-FTA) in Moroccan Dialect, it simply means minced or ground meat, of either beef or lamb (or a combination of the two), or chicken or turkey. Kefta is typically mixed in a marinade of few ingredients; traditionally, it is olive oil, salt, ground cumin, red paprika, ground black pepper, minced onion, minced garlic and chopped coriander/parsley. The mix and Kefta are kneaded thoroughly to distribute flavorings through the meat, then rolled into small meatballs.

إِباوْنْ- مْنْكوبْ/Mangoob/Moroccan Broad or Fava Bean Salad!

We call them "Ibawn =إِباوْنْ " in Tachalhit or Imazighen, and "Fool" or "Ful = فُولْ ", in Moroccan Darija, elsewhere they are commonly known as fava beans, broad beans, horse beans or windsor beans etc.... When I was a kid, I tried to grow fava beans in a glass! So I got a clear drinking glass, put some shredded newspaper to hold my beans inside, then put 4 or 5 fresh shelled fava beans in the center and poured a few cm of water. I was sure I could actually make fava beans sprout in my glass! So there sat my glass, on our kitchen windowsill, and dutifully I watered or rather over-watered the beans every single day, waiting several weeks for a sprout to appear or for something or anything to emerge. Nothing, I gave up on my fava beans!

Pomegranate and Strawberry Smoothie, Moroccan Style!

In Coran or Quoran = القرآن, it is called the "Fruit of Paradise"! In Moroccan Darija, we call it "Rman = R-MAN" = الرّْمّانْ, it is the Pomegranate Fruit! I have wonderful childhood memories of eating and enjoying this fruit, and have loved eating these gorgeous ruby red seeds since I was a child, especially when served for desserts. My mother would break open three or four pomegranates, fill up a bowl of those ruby-like seeds, add a segment of mandarin and some fresh orange juice, then sprinkle some icing sugar and ground cinnamon on top, then finally add the magic touch of orange blossom water. So delicious!

I already talked about Harsha (Harcha) in my last post a few months ago, so I won’t blab again (Here is the Link for my last post about this bread). I frequently turn to this stuffed harsha when there is no bread to serve with Harira or any type of soups for supper. This is a classic harsha recipe that lends itself to endless possibility and variation. I like to use cheese cream with coriander, but you can use any herbs or soft cheese that suit your preference, and you can use either fresh or buttermilk powder. It really tastes great when warm, a perfect blend of soft and crunchy texture, and I think it is the buttermilk that makes this harsha deliciously moist, giving it loads of flavour. It was soft and crusty with a lovely mild flavour, compared to a nice sourdough-ish taste, segueing into hot metlted cheese and olives mixture, cooked to a perfect melding of flavors. I just have to exercise great self-control to stop at ONE harsha.